Trial reportBirth (Berkeley, Calif.)2022
Fear of childbirth, nonurgent obstetric interventions, and newborn outcomes: A randomized controlled trial comparing mindfulness-based childbirth and parenting with enhanced care as usual.
Trial report in Birth (Berkeley, Calif.), 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 16 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
16 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 14 citations in OpenAlex.
- The effect of prenatal education on the fear of childbirth: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Archives of women's mental health · 2026Pooled it
- Comparative efficacy of non-pharmacological interventions on fear of childbirth for pregnant women: a systematic review and network meta-analysis.Frontiers in psychology · 2025Pooled it
- The effect of mindfulness-based childbirth education intervention on fear of childbirth: systematic review and meta-analysis.Revista da Associacao Medica Brasileira (1992) · 2024Pooled it
- Is collaborative care a key component for treating pregnant women with psychiatric symptoms (and additional psychosocial problems)? A systematic review.Archives of women's mental health · 2022Pooled it
- The effect of mindfulness-based stress reduction training on fear of childbirth and psychological well-being in women experiencing premenstrual syndrome: a randomized controlled trial.Archives of women's mental health · 2026Trial
- The relational dimension in mindfulness intervention effects: results of a randomized controlled trial of mindfulness-based childbirth and parenting.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2025Trial
- Digital intervention for tokophobia: a randomized controlled trial of internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy on fear of childbirth and self-efficacy among Egyptian pregnant women.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2025Trial
- The effect of mindfulness-based counselling on the anxiety levels and childbirth satisfaction among primiparous pregnant women: a randomized controlled trial.BMC psychiatry · 2024Trial
- How safe is the treatment of pregnant women with fear of childbirth using eye movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy? Obstetric outcomes of a multi-center randomized controlled trial.Acta obstetricia et gynecologica Scandinavica · 2023Trial
- Fear of childbirth, nonurgent obstetric interventions, and newborn outcomes: A randomized controlled trial comparing mindfulness-based childbirth and parenting with enhanced care as usual.Birth (Berkeley, Calif.) · 2022Trial
- Mindful awareness as a mechanism of change for natural childbirth in pregnant women with high fear of childbirth: a randomised controlled trial.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2022Trial
- Patient Empowerment and Agency through Intrapartum Counseling and Education (PEAICE): A randomized controlled trial.Pregnancy (Hoboken, N.J.) · 2026Article
- Practice for Parturition: Does Sexual Activity Improve Labor and Birth Outcomes?Archives of sexual behavior · 2025Review
- A Mindfulness-Based App Intervention for Pregnant Women: Qualitative Evaluation of a Prototype Using Multiple Case Studies.JMIR formative research · 2025Article
- A comparison of childbirth self-efficacy, fear of childbirth, and labor pain intensity between primiparas and multiparas during the latent phase of labor: a cross-sectional study.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2024Article
- Effect of Personality and Pain Catastrophizing on Postoperative Analgesia Following Cesarean Section: A Prospective Cohort Study.Journal of pain research · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveTo investigate whether mindfulness-based childbirth and parenting (MBCP) or enhanced care as usual (ECAU) for expectant couples decreases fear of childbirth (FOC) and nonurgent obstetric interventions during labor and improves newborn outcomes.
designRandomized controlled trial.
settingMidwifery settings, the Netherlands, April 2014-July 2017. POPULATION: Pregnant women with high FOC (n = 141) and partners.
methodsAllocation to MBCP or ECAU. Hierarchical multilevel and intention-to-treat (ITT) and per-protocol (PP) analyses.
main outcome measuresPrimary: pre-/postintervention FOC, labor anxiety disorder, labor pain (catastrophizing and acceptance), and preferences for nonurgent obstetric interventions. Secondary: rates of epidural analgesia (EA), self-requested cesarean birth (sCB), unmedicated childbirth, and 1- and 5-minute newborn's Apgar scores.
resultsMBCP was significantly superior to ECAU in decreasing FOC, catastrophizing of labor pain, preference for nonurgent obstetric interventions, and increasing acceptance of labor pain. MBCP participants were 36% less likely to undergo EA (RR 0.64, 95% CI [0.43-0.96]), 51% less likely to undergo sCB (RR 0.49, 95% CI [0.36-0.67]), and twice as likely to have unmedicated childbirth relative to ECAU (RR 2.00, 95% CI [1.23-3.20]). Newborn's 1-minute Apgar scores were higher in MBCP (DM -0.39, 95% CI [-0.74 to -0.03]). After correction for multiple testing, results remained significant in ITT and PP analyses, except EA in ITT analyses and 1-minute Apgar.
conclusionsMBCP for pregnant couples reduces mothers' fear of childbirth, nonurgent obstetric interventions during childbirth and may improve childbirth outcomes. MBCP adapted for pregnant women with high FOC and their partners appears an acceptable and effective intervention for midwifery care.
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